Sixth Form students in the Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions of Bolton School have been celebrating an outstanding set of A level results. The Year 13 pupils are part of the first cohort to sit public exams in the past three years, having suffered two and a half years of disruption to their studies.
Head of Foundation Philip Britton said: ‘Today is all about celebrating individual achievements by students whose education has seen the most disruption of any year group since World War Two. Their achievements should be celebrated all the more when we take into consideration that we are still in a pandemic recovery period. I am delighted for both the girls and boys and their teachers who have supported and guided them through some difficult times. It has been a long journey, with the process that brought us to this point beginning over two years ago with the teaching of pre-A levels. The students’ outstanding achievement is down to hard work and perseverance.’
Results day saw much joyous celebration across the campus – this is a year group which has achieved highly and which, despite the odds, has engaged with a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
In the Girls’ Division, Chloe Ferguson, who played for the England National Lacrosse Academy, was heading off to Loughborough with her A* and two As to study Accounting and Financial Management. The university has already had her on a training schedule over the summer and Chloe was looking forward to further developing her sporting skills. Head Girl Summer Kay, having recently completed work experience with PwC, is ultimately hoping for a career in consulting: with three A*s and an A* in her EPQ, she was moving on to St Andrew’s to study Economics and Management. Millie Ashton, who plays drums and is a paddle sports instructor, was planning to study French and Latin at Exeter. Looking forward to the next chapter in her life, she said: ‘There’s a big music scene there, they have a recording studio and a concert band I want to join as well.’ She is also excited to join the university’s paddle sports club and try out new types of paddling such as sea kayaking and white water. Deputy Head Girl Manahil Masood achieved three A*s, an A and a B and recorded full marks in her English Literature A level; she was heading off to Edinburgh to study History. Sofia Carerra-Knowles, fresh from a summer European Space Camp in Norway was hoping to take up a degree apprenticeship and Lizzy Harkness, who played for Everton Ladies, achieved two A*s and an A. Amerleen Hundle, another Deputy-Head Girl, already had her reading list for studying Economics and Management at the University of Oxford so was relieved and delighted to achieve 3 A*s in Classical Civilisation, Economics and Maths.
In the Boys’ Division, Jack Swires, who performed highly in public speaking and Model United Nations events during his time at school, achieved four A*s and an A and was heading off to Imperial College to study Physics. Max Turner, who joined England U18s for hockey trials, was heading off to Reading to read Real Estate and to continue with his sporting passion. James Hopkinson, a successful singer who was a member of the Hallé Children’s Choir when they recorded ‘A Brief History of Creation’, was heading off to Oxford to study Material Science. Sam Olawumi, who captained the national ISFA Under 18s and was a member of the Bolton Wanderers FC reserves, was taking a year out to see if he could succeed professionally. If his search does not prove fruitful, he was considering applying for a sport scholarship in an American university. Finley Littlefair, who has been a cast member in several of the school’s drama productions, is going on to UCL to study Comparative Literature. He said that this degree course is a chance to study English Literature and also learn a language, in his case Russian. He also said that, particularly now, it feels ‘very important’ to learn Russian, particularly since he would like to move into journalism in the future. He also hopes to get involved with drama at UCL, and perhaps even perform in a Greek play as part of the university’s Classical Society.
Summing up the day, Mr Britton said: ‘Today has been all about celebrating individual achievements, which are a real testament to the work and commitment of both students and teachers. Across the Divisions, it has been wonderful to see all students passing, approximately a quarter of grades coming in at A* and well over half at A.’
